


Calm Before the Storm

by c_mellow



Series: Unforeseen Circumstances [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Mission Fic, cute relationship goals!, dick and babs fluff, dick/babs makeout, mission debrief, no relationships for damian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-03 10:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6608092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_mellow/pseuds/c_mellow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick and Barbara exchange in a different form of exercise that Damian sure isn't used to. After their interruption, Bruce decides to hold a mission debriefing, but afterwards has a talk to a certain bird on PDA and when and when not to display it in front of the youngest member of the bat fam.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is my first Batman writing fic and I thought, why not just give it a try and post it, rejection and all! This is going to be a long series, just a forewarning, but I think some people (like me) enjoy that. This story starts off nice and fun but will take some dark turns down the road. *this is your alert now if you're not a fan of all the angsty stuff to stop here*. Overall I hope you readers enjoy!

**Wayne Manor: Batcave**

**April 23, 17:58 EST**

**DAY 1**

 

“Ahh, tonight’s gonna be a good night for busting criminals, I can smell it. Can’t you?” Dick Grayson said after his and Barbara Gordon’s sparring match in the bat cave. There was a big human trafficking junction at Falcone Shipping Yard and Batman had been planning on busting the ring for a long time; tonight just happened to present itself as the perfect opportunity. Barbara gave him a nudge with her elbow as he took the towel from around his neck and wiped the sweat from his face.

            “Yeah, I think that’s just your B.O that you smell.” She smirked up at him. Dick made the move to swat her with his towel, but her instincts were quicker than his attempts. Barbara moved her head before it could hit it and ran away, giggling as she went.

            “Uh uh, come back here!” Dick was full on grinning now as he chased Barbara down, still trying to swat her with the towel. She came up to a wall face, and Dick smirked manically, knowing she had nowhere to go.

            “Ha! I’ve got you now.” Barbara looked over her shoulder and hooded her eyes with a smile that only a vixen could have.

            “That’s what you think.” And in one move, she ran, kicked off the wall, grabbed the bar of the catwalk above them and swung herself up, leaving just her running echoes of footsteps in her wake. Dick watched her scurry away and shook his head.

            “Should have never taught her that one…” He mumbled to himself. Smiling with expectant triumph, Dick strolled to the far end of the cave, near the infamous batcave computer. The stairs that led up to the catwalk were right beside it, but he knew she was smarter than that to take the obvious escape route, but would check out the stairs anyway for his presence. He bound up the stairs two at a time with silent feet and hid behind a protrusion of rock of the cave. Just as he expected, Barbara came sneaking down the catwalk, peering around the corner of the stairs to see if he was there, none the wiser that he was behind her.

            As she tiptoed down the first step, Dick twisted his towel as tight as he could and took aim. This time, his target was a little lower than her head. It happened so quickly that the only evidence of the action was the loud crack it made against her ass. She yelped and jumped, nearly falling face first down the stairs if not for Dick grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her up into him.

            The astonished and pissed look on her face had Dick grinning like an idiot, and when he saw her open her mouth to most likely yell at him, he swooped in and replaced her words with his lips. She resisted at first, but her tense body relaxed against his and she returned the kiss. Barbara pulled back and looked up at Dick, who was still smiling; but even she had to admit, who could stay mad at such a handsome face. His sapphire eyes, jet black hair, and perfect smile against even more perfect skin made for a hard case to be angry with.

            “That really hurt you know.” Barbara said on a low voice, absentmindedly rubbing her sore cheek. He replaced her hand with his and gripped her slightly as he did.

            “Come on Babs, that’s nothing we haven’t done before. If anything, that was _mild_.” He said the last part through the side of his mouth, faking like he was looking around nervously like someone could be listening. Hell, by living in the Wayne Manor, that was half true.

            Dick leaned down and kissed her more passionately, both hands resting on her ass now. Her own rose to his hair where she pulled at his soft but sweaty locks. She didn’t care; it turned her on, if she was being honest, whenever they got intimate after exercising or going on patrol.

            Dick suddenly lifted her up and moved to the railing there on the catwalk, her back resting against a rock column from the cave. His tongue touched her lips, and she granted him access by opening them, and he quickly dove his tongue inside, sucking on her bottom lip and biting it as he pulled away. The smallest moan escaped her parted mouth, and his already-growing erection grew even more, persisting to press into her inner thigh. He moved his way down her jaw, her neck, collarbone, kissing, licking, and sucking at every spot he stopped. Her hands moved to his lower back and pushed his sweaty t-shirt up, rubbing the skin there, only lingering slightly on the scars and scratches he adorned.

The sound of the elevator descending both shook them from their focused state of mind, having Dick pull away from her reluctantly and Barbara hopping down from the railing. They quickly jogged down the stairs, which hurt parts of Dick that shouldn’t be named, and acted as if they were walking away from the sparring ring at the far corner of the cave just as the doors opened. Out came Bruce Wayne himself with his son Damian Wayne. They were chattering lightly but stopped talking when they saw the pair. Bruce was dressed in a black long-sleeve coldgear compression underarmour shirt, black sweatpants, and matching Nike free runners. Damian was dressed similarly in grey joggers, a dark burgundy hoodie and the same shoes in hunter green. The irony was not past him.

“Grayson, Gordon. I see you two were expelling some energy as well?” Damian addressed them as formally as ever, his body language relaying poise and a pragmatic attitude with his hands behind his back and upturned nose. Bruce’s own posture was more relaxed with his hands on his hips and a barely-there smile.

“Yeah, you could say that.” Dick said jokingly, which earned him another elbow jab from Barbara, although they both snorted at Damian’s taken-aback expression.

“I do hope you two are joking.” Dick walked over to Damian and rumpled his hair. He didn’t like that very much seeing how as soon as Dick stopped Damian’s hands flew to his hair to put it back in its proper place.

“Don’t worry kiddo, we were sparring, putting in a little extra practice before tonight. So, is anyone else as excited for this as I am or what?” Bruce nodded his head mutually.

“After months of watching Falcone and his men conspire with Black Mask and a mysterious third person party, it’s all coming to a head tonight, and it’s our job to stop it. Actually, this happens to be the topic that brought me down here to discuss with everyone. I want to debrief back here in 10.”

They all moved; Bruce to the computer, Damian close by, inspecting things here and there, and Dick and Barbara to their respective shower stalls by the sparring ring. Once they were done and changed into clean clothing, they joined Bruce and Damian back at the computer. All three allies’ hovered around the screen as Bruce brought up file after file, preparing to discuss their plans for tonight.

“From observations made from previous CCTV recordings on the dock and neighboring buildings, we can expect that Falcone and his company will be meeting here.” Bruce’s fingers moved across the vast and expansive touch-screen display board and footage of the boatyard appeared along with a target marking the sections where they would be.

“Outside sources can confirm that the meeting is tonight and that they’ll be anticipating the cargo ship _Amora IV_ to be docking at 0100 hours. We have no knowledge of who is bringing the ship. Finding out the identity of our ‘third party’ is going to be vital in this mission. Stopping them could help put a halt to this trafficking business, at least here in Gotham, sooner rather than later. Our positions will be here.” More taps on the board and the screen changed again. A different angle of the boatyard appeared on screen, showing directly above what they were previously looking at. It was a view the compartment for the cranes on the dock and the buildings behind it. He pressed a button and identifiers lit up.

“Robin and I will be here.” The marker on top of the crane’s driver compartment flared. “Nightwing will be on our 3, and Batgirl to our 9.” The markers to the left and right of their position flared as well, showing their positions to be on the adjacent roofs by the crane itself. “I have already briefed Red Hood and Red Robin on the mission. They will be positioned on the ground near the docks amongst the cargo crates around here.” Two markers show where Bruce had spoken of. “They are to serve as liaisons, alerting and updating us as the mission progresses. They will be placed where needed most when the time comes, and it will.”

“This gives us the perfect vantage points to identify and assess the situation. We are to just strictly observe until we see evidence of the trafficking happening. Then we move. We will arrive at 2300 hours. The ship should arrive as scheduled; meanwhile everyone should arrive earlier in anticipation.”

“What happens when we do see evidence of trafficking?” Dick asked. Bruce smirked slightly.

“This is where you two come in. Nonetheless if there’s trafficking happening or not, which shouldn’t be in question, you and Batgirl will board the ship as soon as it docks and when Red Hood and Red Robin give the all clear.” Bruce then pulled up schematics of the _Amora IV._ More identifiers appeared on the model of the ship, showing them where the wheelhouse and engine room was. “With the utmost of stealth, you are to nonlethally subdue the shipmates and captain on your way to the wheelhouse and engine room. Once in each room, it’s your objective to make the ship inoperable. Going to the wheelhouse first is priority seeing as how the captain could alert the ship if damage comes to the engine room. Catching any knowledge as to who our ‘third party’ is will be extremely prevalent as you take over the ship. As you two work on disabling the ship, Robin and I will be tactfully subduing Falcone and Black Mask’s men and whoever else decides to show.”

“What about the people being trafficked?” Damien spoke up this time.

“We’re not sure if they’re having people coming or going, so we’ll have to assess that once we get there, but for now I have strategies for both scenarios.” Bruce’s fingers flitted across the screen once more, and again the screen changed, showing two separate plans for each case.

“If they’re handing over people, then we must identify the vehicles they’re traveling in when they arrive. Once Robin and I subdue the enemies, which should coincide with the timing you two will take to disable the ship, we will all meet back at the yard to find and rescue the victims. This could get tricky seeing as how during our initial attack, some enemies could attempt to drive away with the victims in tow. If this occurs, I will assign someone at the time to stop this. If the number of people trying to escape increases, I will call everyone to the dock to assist in this, ship disabled or not. Subduing the enemy and rescuing the victims is our number one priority. Now, if the victims are being delivered from the cargo ship, I want Nightwing and Batgirl to inspect every compartment of the ship that shows life form, quickly scanning the floors through camera’s to exclude non-victims. Once outside on the main deck of the ship, you two are to search the cargo crates. To maximize available time, scan the crates to detect if there is life aboard or not. If so, open them with expectations that the victims are inside. Presumably so, once you do, we should be done on the yard and will rendezvous on the main deck to assist with rescue. If need be, I am contacting the GCPD and Commissioner Gordon for backup. This situation can get out of hand very quickly and the six of us might very well become outnumbered. Any help is accepted. Any questions?”

“Yeah, I have one. What if both situations occur?” Barbara interjected. Bruce smiled non-comically.

“Then your father and the GCPD better not be busy.”

The gathered silence that followed was somber agreeance.

“It’s currently 1809 hours. We have roughly five hours until our departure. Todd and Drake will be arrive roughly one hour before we leave. Use this time to prepare for tonight. I’m expecting exemplary work from all of you, especially you two, this isn’t anything new.” He gave Dick and Barbara stern but parental looks. He knew they were fully capable of handling their tasks, but he still wanted to ensure that they did their best. Damian would be alongside him, so keeping an eye on him and assuring his performance was A-level and his safety was guaranteed would be easier to accomplish.

“Understood, boss. Don’t worry, we always win.” Dick mock-saluted Bruce, but Damian rolled his eyes at him.

“Don’t get cocky, Grayson. Father is serious about tonight. Nothing but your best.”

“No problem, _Bruce_.” Damian squinted his eyes at that, but, with hands still intertwined behind his back, turned sharply on his heel and made his way to the automated training droids that they used for virtual simulations for fighting. Not the same as sparring an actual person, but it served its purpose.

Barbara and Dick both moved toward the elevator, but Bruce’s voice halted them.

“Dick, a word.” His voice was assertive but still had an air of neutrality. The _dad_ voice, as Dick referred to it as.

Dick turned to Barbara and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Meet you up there, babe.” He smiled sweetly at her, which she returned and continued to the elevator. Once she was in and ascending, Dick turned back to Bruce, who was sitting back in the chair at the computer control panel, hands wrung in front of him with elbows on the armrests. His face was impossible to read. Dick moved toward him and sat in the chair to his right. The silence was killing him.

“Can I ask what’s wrong?” Bruce glanced over his shoulder at Damian, who was deeply involved in decapitating a droid, before he looked back and fiddled with the controls again. A smaller screen, big enough for just the both of them to see, appeared overhead, impossible for anyone over 10 feet away to see. As soon as he saw it, Dick blushed furiously.

It was security footage of him and Barbara from just moments before Bruce and Damian had entered the cave. The angle was from the left of Dick, placing the camera right above the landing where the stairs met the catwalk. Dick looked over at the spot where they had been, and there he saw the little, shiny, black orb embedded in the rock on the cave wall. Bruce paused it at the moment they both heard the elevator descending, their faces looking like something from a cartoon with guilty written all over them.

“I would say it’s not what it looks like, but it’s exactly what it looks like.” Bruce’s face remained stoic as ever.

“I know.” More silence.

“So…what’s the problem here? You know we’re together. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I have no problem with your relationship. I just want you two to be more conscious of where you partake in your…festivities. In other words, I don’t want Damian to get the wrong idea.” Now Dick was thoroughly confused.

“And what would that be?” Bruce sighed, finally showing some resolve. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“I trust you two, I do. I actually approve of your relationship, but that’s only because you both are equally devoted wholeheartedly to the field and mission. Plus, you’re relationship has worked in the past before, and didn’t end on negative terms, just a mutual agreeance to separate. You both have the same goal in mind and are loyal to the purpose. That’s what makes you relationship work, that you’re both on the same page. Damian, on the other hand, could see your relationship as an example, but interpret it the wrong way. He’s reaching that age where his hormones get in the way of his brain, and I don’t want him getting any ideas that a relationship is something to endeavor in. Not that you two are a bad example, it’s just that _any_ relationship is an example nonetheless. And any relationship he gets in would be with a civilian, which is not someone who understands our world and its limitations for compassion and intimacy. Point is, I don’t want him thinking that if you guys are in one, then he can start delving into a relationship himself. I don’t want his mind to become clouded any more than it is.”

“So, you don’t want us displaying our relationship around Damian so that he doesn’t follow by example, because you want him to stay sharp on the field and you think a relationship will dull his ability to do so?” Bruce thought over that for a second before nodding.

“That’s one way to put it, but yes, precisely.” Dick shrugged.

“Well, I guess that’s understandable. We’ll keep it on the DL from now on, don’t you worry.” Dick stood and patted Bruce on the shoulder. He was in the middle of walking toward the elevator when he stopped abruptly and turned back around to face Bruce. He had already wiped the screen and was looking at other files but he turned around himself when he heard Dick stop walking and comment, “Hold up a second.”

“How did you even know we were doing that before you two came down?” Bruce smirked ever-so-slightly. To anyone else, they wouldn’t have detected it.

“I didn’t.”

“Mhmm, of course you didn’t. You’re just _that good_ of a detective, right?” This got a full teeth-showing smile from Bruce as he turned back to the screen before him.

“I don’t have that title for nothing.” Dick chuckled as he continued his path from before, shaking his head in disbelief at Bruce’s playful mood. Those were rare, but he would take it any way he could get it. And if that meant harping on Dick for showing a little PDA, then so be it.


End file.
